Smoothing-iron



G. B.` MCCLAIN.

Sad Iron. y No..17 ,105; *Patented'AprilQlQ 1857..

j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GALEN B. MCGLAIN, OF BATH, MAINE.

SMOOTI-IING-IRON.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 17,105, dated April 21, 1857.

To atl whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GALEN B. MCCLA'IN, of Bath, in the county of Sagadahoc vand State of Maine, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Construction of Sad-Irons; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full., clear, and exact description of the same, refe-rence being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a longitudinal section of my improvement, the plane of section being through the center. Fig. 2, is a transverse section of ditto, m, a Fig. l, showing the plane of section. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of ditto, y, y; Fig. 2, shows the plane of section.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

My invention consists in the peculiar construction of the iron, as will be hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby it may be quickly heated and the heat retained for a considerable length of time.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A represents the body of the` iron which is a hollow chamber of cast metal and having its bottomor outer and under face side a, planed perfectly smooth, as usual. The

handle B. is attached to the upper part or plate of the body A. The body is of the usual shape or form and the inner side of the bottom et, has a series of longitudinal ribs'or projections on it, said ribs or projections being a suitable distance apart and extending upward nearly to the top plate c. The back end of the body A, is provided with a door or flap d and the front end of the top plate c, is also provided with a door or flap e, see Fig. l.

The iron is heated by openingI the two doors or flaps ci, e and placing the iron over the flame of a gas jet, or lamp, as shown in Fig. l. The body A soon becomes heated in consequence of a large area or surface being presented to the flame. Vhen the iron is heated, the doors or flaps are both closed, and the iron is used in the ordinary manner.

By the above improvement, it will be seen that a. large mass of metal may be heated in a short time, because the ribs or projections Z), cause a large surface of the metal forming the body to be exposed to the flame, and when the iron is heated, by closing the doors or flaps, and thereby preventing a circulation of air through the body A, the body will retain the heat a considerable length of time.

The above improvement may be applied to all forms of smoothing irons or sad irons, also to batters irons and talors geese.

I do not confine myself to the precise form of the ribs or projections b, for they may be arranged in various, ways and answer equally as well as the plan herein described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The within described sad in the manner substantially as specified with its doors or flaps cl, e, arranged and operating as described.

GALEN B. MCGLAIN,

Witnesses W. HEATH, j C. N. BoNrIsH.

iron constructed' 

